


Nashville

by PollyPocket18



Series: The Downfall [1]
Category: Figure Skating RPF
Genre: Angst, F/M, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Love, Partners to Lovers, Sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-05
Updated: 2018-12-05
Packaged: 2019-09-12 03:40:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,648
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16865449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PollyPocket18/pseuds/PollyPocket18
Summary: He had said she was just a family friend.She had believed him.Just one fictional and angsty take on what went down between Tessa and Scott in Nashville.





	Nashville

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I have absolutely no clue what went down in the soap opera that is Scott and Tessa. This story is purely fiction, but just one take on what may have happened, to lead us to the mess we're currently in. I'm currently undecided if this will be a one-shot or a series of one shots.
> 
> I apologize in advance for the angst.
> 
> Thanks to the person who helped me with this, allowed me to bounce ideas, and read (multiple times!) it before it saw the light of day here. I appreciate it!

He had said she was just a family friend.

She had believed him.

And now, standing in the ballroom of a Nashville hotel, she felt like someone was taking a hammer to her heart. He stood at the bar with _her_ , a smile creeping over the corner of the lips that had kissed her own not so long ago.

_"She's a family friend," Scott had shrugged when asked why he had invited her to Nashville. "She's never seen us skate, and it's probably the closest we'll ever be to Florida. She can hang out with Cara."_

But now, _she_ was standing a little too close to him at the bar, his face softening ever-so-slightly as he looked at her. She knew that look all too well; it was usually reserved just for her.

Had she been a fool about him? About them?

She thought back to the last nine months of her life, of their lives. She thought back to the last two months, cuddling up on the bus and watching movies, falling asleep with her head on his shoulder. There were the nights he crept into her bunk and wrapped his arms around her as they slept, mumbling about sleeping better with her in his arms. She thought about the way he tangled his fingers into her hair on the ice, the way he had kissed her neck during performances, the secret looks they shared every night.

She thought about the way his lips had brushed her shoulder just tonight, on the ice, right in front of this woman.

How could she have been so wrong? She closed her eyes, the music and lights all blurring together as she felt the room spinning around her. Her heart was in her throat, and she suddenly felt nauseous, weak, dizzy, lost.

_"I thought we were going to go sightseeing and stuff in Nashville?_

_"Yeah, we will. Jackie will probably spend most of her time with Cara."_

Yet, aside from skating, she had barely seen him since they arrived in Nashville. In the most surprising move, she hadn't even been invited to dinner with him and his family last night, so she sat alone in her hotel room eating room service and listening to the music echoing from the bars on the streets below. She should've known then. It wasn't like Scott to leave her out. He only had in the past when someone else was involved. Kaitlyn. Cassandra. Jessica.

The last three years, it had been them against the world, but now she was left alone, again. He swore to her that 2018 would be different, that he wasn't "Post-Sochi Scott" anymore, but now, she wasn't so sure.

How could this have happened?

It had been less than two weeks ago that they had left the Air Canada soiree together, giggling as they tumbled drunkenly into her hotel room, trying endlessly to get her out of that damn bodysuit with the deep V-neckline. He had almost ripped it off in desperation, before kissing every inch of her, but they hadn't talked seriously, not really. She hadn't thought they needed to; she thought they were on the same page.

It had been less than a month ago since they had gone to the Great Kitchen Party event, singing along to the Barenaked Ladies, and sneaking a kiss in the darkened hallway near the bathrooms, her fingers in his hair and his tugging her hips to his with a promise of later. A promise that he had fulfilled in another nondescript hotel room, their bodies tangling together in a way that had become second nature. She thought that this was enough for him right now, that even though they weren't officially together, that he knew how she felt. That every time she gave her body to him, she also gave him her heart, her soul, her future.

It had been less than three months since she had gotten home from France, refreshed and reflective. She was so certain then. She had invited him to come to her cottage after their trip to Utah, so they could talk, seriously, and spend Labor Day together. She had initially wanted to wait until after the tour, but for the two weeks she was in France, her head and heart were on the same page. Scott Moir was her future.

Instead, though, he and Cara went to Florida to play golf and visit "an old family friend." His old partner. _Her._

He hadn't known that she was ready then. Would it have changed things?

At the time, she had thought he deserved the vacation. While she had been enjoying France, he had been coaching at Gadbois, and working on logistical planning for their tour. He could use a few days to unwind and go unnoticed, to have some drinks and soak up the sun.

But, now her head was throbbing, her thoughts echoing a mile a minute. Had he gone to Florida purely to hook up with his old skating partner? Was she more than just an old friend?

Deep down, Tessa knew the answer to that.

It had been less than four months since they had gotten back from Japan, since she had asked him for time. She had only wanted him to slow down, to give her time to breathe. They had been going nonstop since the Olympics, and everything had been a whirlwind, and he was talking about houses, and babies, and rings, and she felt like she was suffocating. She needed time to stop, to think, to reflect.

She had just wanted to be sure.

They had jumped in headfirst after Pyeonchang, and they hadn't taken a moment to be sure that this wasn't just a post-Olympic high.

They hadn't even fully discussed retirement yet. How could they talk about forever?

_They lay in bed together, the sun shining through the windows, as his hand absentmindedly trailed up and down her spine as she nuzzled against his chest. She had never felt happier, but also, she had never been more conflicted. She knew he was serious about her, as was she about him, but she needed to make sure it was real. She didn't want them to get back home, only to have their Olympic bubble burst, ruining a twenty year friendship._

_"We should get a puppy," He grinned, propping himself up on one arm. "It could be our official tour dog, and it would be good practice before having a baby." She smiled, but he could tell she was deep in thought, her brows furrowing as her eyes darted away. "You okay, T?"_

_"Just thinking..." She trailed off, her eyes lifting to his. This had been weighing on her mind for weeks now. It was time. She breathed out a heavy sigh, a thin layer of sweat coating her palms as her heart began racing. "Are we moving too fast here?"_

_"Too fast?" He laughed, shaking his head in disbelief. "We've known each other for pretty much our entire lives. How can this be too fast?"_

_"Just, we haven't had time to think or reflect about anything. We've been running on fumes since the Olympics. I'm just scared that we're going to go home and crash and burn one day, and I don't want that, Scott. That would break my heart."_

_"T, come on, you know I never want to hurt you," He smiled, his eyes practically sparkling as he looked at her. "I love you, baby."_

_"I love you too, Scott, so much." She whispered, her breath hitching in her throat. "I love you so much that it scares me."_

_"I'll do whatever you need, Tess."_

_"I think we need to slow this down a bit, Scott. Let's take some time to deal with the Olympic crash, and the tour, and retiring. It's so much to think about. We don't even know where we want to live after the tour or what we want to do. I just want us to be smart about this. It's too important to me to rush."_

_"So are you saying you want to break up?" His jaw clenched as he asked, his fingers still unconsciously tracing circles over her skin._

_"No, yes...no." She shook her head, tears suddenly brimming in her eyes. "I love you Scott, I just need time. We both do. We need to let the dust settle, and then we can do this, Scott. We can do it for real. We've messed us up so many times, I don't want to to it again. I want to be with you, I do. Just not yet."_

_"I've waited twenty years," He sighed, burying his face against her neck. She could feel his tears against her skin, as he lifted his eyes, a bittersweet smile on his lips. "What's a few more months?"_

Why had she let him into her heart, her bed, her body, and her soul so many times over the past year?

Over the past twenty-one years?

She had been enchanted by those hazel eyes, that smile, that heart, time and time again.

No one could love her more than Scott Moir, but with that power came another: No one could hurt her more than Scott Moir.

It had almost been nine months to the day since they won the individual event in Pyeongchang. Now was when they should be discussing their feelings and their futures. Now, the dust was finally settling.

_It had been a whirlwind night of celebrations, of drinks and hugs, of shared moments between the two of them. When they had slipped behind the curtain for a moment to themselves, he had pulled her into his arms, kissing her cheek and holding her so close. He had rested his forehead against hers, breathing her in, before capturing her lips with his own, her hands instinctively cupping his face as their kiss deepened. Maybe it was the emotion of the win, but kissing him suddenly felt like the only way to convey what she was feeling. In those moments, there was no one but the two of them in the entire world. The cheering crowd was gone, the competition, the judges, their coaches, their families...all gone. It was just a boy and a girl on top of the world._

_"We did it, T," He murmured against her lips, his hands coming to rest on her cheeks as his forehead pressed to hers. "We really did it."_

_Hours later, with a few too many drinks and the high of the win in their systems, they found themselves naked in her bed in the Olympic village: bodies tangled, hands roaming, each other's name cried out on their lips. It wasn't the first time, but it was easily the most important. After two years of training, and therapy, and working together towards one singular goal, they were finally taking the next logical step. It was just the beginning._

_"I love you, T." He murmured against her throat, his body moving in tandem with hers as they gave in to all of the emotions of the night, tears escaping his eyes._

_She lifted her green orbs to his, feeling overwhelmed by the moment. "I love you too, Scott."_

She loved him, still, and she thought he loved her.

He had said she was worth the wait.

"Hey honey," She felt a warm, familiar hand on the small of her back. "How are you feeling?"

Her brow furrowed as she turned, coming eye-to-eye with the woman who was basically her second mother, who she thought would one day also be her mother-in-law. "I'm okay."

"We were all worried about you last night."

"Last night?"

"Scott said you couldn't come to dinner because you weren't feeling well. We missed you."

"Oh, right...." She trailed off. "Yeah, I just needed some rest, it's been a crazy few days."

Fuck him. That was all she needed to know. This was 2010 Scott, and 2012 Scott, and 2014 Scott. She thought 2018 Scott would be different. She had been wrong.

Tessa squeezed her eyes shut, excusing herself from Alma, when she locked eyes with him, his brow furrowing and his mouth terse. Over the past nine months, their eyes locking across a crowded room would usually result in hushed giggles and kisses behind a bathroom door or in a darkened alley. She knew that was not about to be the case.

She gestured with her head to the door, noting the frown on his lips, and moments later, he followed her out.

"Mind telling me what's going on here?" She asked, eyes meeting his in the corridor, her voice hushed but angry. "You lied to your mom about me being sick last night, you're acting like I don't exist. Are you dating her?!"

"I...I don't know," He sighed, shaking his head. "We've just been talking a lot."

"And were you not planning to tell me?"

"I, I don't know. I don't know what it is, so I didn't think there was anything to tell."

"Scott, up until a few weeks ago, our plans for this trip involved sightseeing and dancing and sharing a room...I've barely seen you!"

"I know, I'm sorry, T."

"Why did you invite her here?!"

"I don't know. I thought it would be fun to have her here. It's easy with her."

"And me? When you were fucking me across Canada for the past two months? What was that all about?!"

"Tess, you're the one who dumped me." She could see his neck turning red, his hands sliding through his hair, his jaw-clenching. All of Scott's famous tells.

"I never-" Her breath caught. "I asked for time Scott, time. And once again, you just couldn't wait, huh? Did you fuck her as soon as I asked for time? How long has this been going on?"

"I'm sorry, kiddo," He shook his head, his eyes clouding with guilt. "I'm so sorry."

He reached for her, wanting to comfort her in the way that had become second-nature over the entirety of their partnership. He wanted to pull her into his arms, and hold her as she cried, stroking her hair and telling her it would be alright. He wanted to breath in the scent of her hair as he nestled in the crook of her neck. He wasn't thinking as his instincts told him to reach for her, an audible gasp escaping him as she shoved him away, wincing at his touch.

"Just go. Go back to your fucking girlfriend, Scott."

"She's not - "He tried, desperation lacing his tone. "I'm sorry, Tess."

"Just go." She whispered, and he closed his eyes breathing in deeply before turning away from her, heading back towards the ballroom. She stepped backwards against the wall, sliding down it until she was sitting on the floor, her head buried in her hands. She wanted to disappear, wanted the ground to open up and suck her in. How could she have trusted him with her heart?

How could she had thought that this time would be different? That this time it would finally be right?

The conversation had lasted merely minutes, but she had a feeling that, someday when she looked back at her life, it would be those minutes that defined it. It wouldn't be the hundreds of thousands of minutes spent on the ice, the minutes before the judges winning gold. No, it would be these minutes where her heart broke.

"Tessa?" She heard a familiar voice approaching, his strong frame kneeling beside her. "You okay, hon?"

She lifted her eyes to meet Eric's, grateful for a familiar face that wasn't a Moir. "Eric, hi." He wrapped his arm around her shoulder, pulling her into his arms.

"What happened? You look like you lost your best friend."

"I think I did." She sobbed, her voice breaking and her shoulders shaking. "I think I just did."


End file.
